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This Week in Eco News - August 2, 2013

Welcome to our revamped Eco News, now including some of the week's Ecocentric posts and multimedia fun. Clarity is the concern du jour this week; more evidence of fracking's overall impact on clean water came to light, even as the biotech industry's claims of transparency about GMO's safety seem dubious. See a story we should share? Drop us a line: blog@gracelinks.org.

Let an animated correspondent guide you along electricity's journey from its source to the light bulb in your home, explaining different fuels, thermal power generation, transmission and the grid.Take Action: Now that you know where your electricity comes from, learn how to be more energy efficient!

Loss of Bees Can Affect Plants' Ability to Reproduce, Study FindsResearchers have found that drops in bee populations can affect plants' ability to produce seeds. In depleted numbers, remaining bees take advantage of the opportunity to play the field, or be less faithful to a specific species of plant. This means the bees are less likely to pollinate those species as they are carrying around material from a variety of other flowers, when they once visited their exclusive floral partners. [New York Times]

Seeking Support, Biotech Food Companies Pledge TransparencyAs more states move toward GMO labeling, the Council for Biotech Information, a front group for the world's largest biotech firms, has launched GMOAnswers.com, a website that promises greater transparency. New media hasn't done GM proponents any favors in the past, and we're predicting that until Monsanto et al listens to consumers, such attempts to win hearts and minds will keep failing. [New York Times]

Animal Rights Activists Sue Utah Over 'Ag Gag' LawA landmark lawsuit challenging an ag-gag law has been filed in Utah by animal welfare groups, journalists and a woman who was briefly charged with violating Utah's year-old Agricultural Operation Interference law. The group sued the state in US District Court, alleging that the ag-gag law violates the US Constitution. [Deseret News]

Tracing Germs Through The AislesFor the past year microbiologist Lance Price has been working with his team to answer questions about the spread of antibiotic-resistant germs from animals raised on industrial farms to human beings. To do this, Professor Price is using gene sequencing to determine how many people in Flagstaff, Arizona are contracting urinary tract infections from grocery store meats. [New York Times]

Appeals Court Strikes Down NYC Big Soda BanA New York City appeals court has ruled that size limits on sugary beverages are unconstitutional. Nevertheless, Mayor Bloomberg remains undeterred and has stated that he will appeal the decision and continue to fight the obesity epidemic. [CBS]

Israeli Hospitals join ‘Meatless Monday’ movementHospital kitchens across Israel are individually adopting the Meatless Monday campaign to promote health, improve the environment and cut costs by doing away with red meat once a week. Among the campaign’s benefits: lowered costs, reduced water consumption for animal feed, use of fossil fuels in cooking and fewer factory farms. Patients, employees and visitors are encouraged to participate.

Agencies at Odds Over Water Pollution ControlsIt only took 30 years for the EPA to propose rules for toxic wastewater released from coal-fired power plants. A new report from an environmental coalition shows that while air scrubbers have cleaned the air, pollution still gets transferred to water sludge pools that then seep into waterways. Here's hoping the final regulations take less than 30 years to complete. [Post-Gazette]

Flood, Rebuild, Repeat: Are We Ready for a Superstorm Sandy Every Other Year?Post-Sandy rebuilding up and down the East Coast has been mixed at best, and is largely deficient in implementing resiliency measures into reconstruction and policy. As recent analyses show, giant storms and devastating floods will occur more frequently in the future, which should cause people to refocus their efforts on smart planning and building...or else! [Mother Jones]

The Growing Evidence of the Threat of Fracking to the Nation's GroundwaterPeter Gleick outlines the mounting scientific evidence that the activities surrounding fracking can contribute to groundwater contamination. The oil and gas industry denies this claim, as they consider "fracking" to be a single step. There's a possible lesson here for enviros: Use the term "fracking" more sparingly and call out the myriad problems inherent in fossil fuel extraction, distribution and energy generation. [Science Blogs]

With Too Much Rain in the South, Too Little Produce on the ShelvesJust a year ago, the southeastern US and its agricultural industry was wilting under horrendous drought conditions. Now, the constant rain has ruined crops because of flooded fields, disease and an inability to perform basic tasks. This wild weather swing is a perfect example of a changing climate and its spawn, "drought and deluge." [New York Times]

EPA Proposes Rule to Modernize Clean Water Act Reporting ProcessWill the EPA go all "Bobby Digital" and require e-reporting rather than paper submissions for entities that need wastewater discharge permits, like industrial operations, factory farms and municipalities? If a proposed rule that requires use of the ECHO reporting system goes through, the EPA just might, which would save around $29 million dollars annually. [Timesonline]

Massive Solar Plant a Stepping Stone for Future ProjectsThe world's largest solar power plant is about to switch on and power about 140,000 homes. However, the Mojave Desert project did hit speed bumps along the way because of conservationist concerns about the loss of desert habitat. California will try to address those concerns by divvying up the desert into renewable energy zones and zones that are off-limits. [KQED]

On Rooftops, a Rival for UtilitiesSome electric utilities are getting so scared of the growth in rooftop solar - still less than a quarter of 1 percent of the nation's power generation, mind you - that they're trying to persuade governments to roll back incentives, like net metering, aimed at promoting solar. [New York Times]

As a recent interview with President Obama indicates, arguments against the Keystone XL pipeline project are resonating with him...The US has little to gain and, potentially, a lot to lose.

EPA Submits Final Cooling Water Rule for White House ReviewAfter only 40 years the EPA is in the final stages of releasing a rule that, in theory, will reduce the number of fish and other aquatic life killed by power plant cooling systems. Problem is, the proposed rule is weak and would maintain the ineffective status quo. [E&E News]

Obama Points Out Economic Downsides Of Keystone XLAs a recent interview with President Obama indicates, arguments against the Keystone XL pipeline project are resonating with him. As he says, the project will create very few permanent jobs and the Canadian tar sands oil will simply be passing through the US to be exported to the world market. The US has little to gain and, potentially, a lot to lose. [Grist]

China's Toxic SkySince the beginning of this year, the levels of air pollution in Beijing have been dangerously high, with thick clouds of smog chasing people indoors, disrupting air travel, and affecting the health of millions. At one point the pollution level measured 40 times recommended safety levels. Authorities are taking short-term measures to combat the current crisis, shutting down some factories and limiting government auto usage. However, long-term solutions seem distant, as China's use of coal continues to rise, and the government remains slow to acknowledge and address the problems. [The Atlantic]

Rebuilding the Jersey ShoreHere are some sweeping before and after aerial photos of several locations along the Jersey Shore, taken just after the storm and again in July. Be sure to click on the “change” button to see what these locations look like now. [New Yorker]

Two Energy Futures This site shows us two possible futures: the first, fossil-fuelled future is the one we’re heading for if we carry on down our current energy path. This is the future that current government policies and business practices will take us to, according to mainstream energy experts. This is a future of runaway climate change and widespread human suffering. In the second, cleaner and fairer future, we show you how it is possible to provide everyone on the planet with a high quality lifestyle, access to education, medical care, efficient transport, comfortable homes and entertainment, all powered by existing clean energy technologies. [TwoEnergyFutures.org]

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Cafeteria worker layoffs in Chicago may jeopardize a new fresh food program in public schools. This looming threat echoes the struggles that many districts across the nation face as advocates and legislators work to get healthy food into schools.

Using NASA satellite data, a new paper by Dr. Jay Famiglietti and team identifies six US water hotspots that face water problems today and in the future. President Obama expresses concerns, but good policy, needs strong data.

You know how it goes. You buy healthy items but don’t always have time to cook. The one night you can make time, you look in the refrigerator and the pieces don’t quite add up to a meal so you order take-out. How to plan ahead and what to keep stoc

Originally from China, the peach dates all the way back to 5th Century BC, making it one of the oldest Real Foods we’ve covered. Its short season at the height of summer also makes it one of the very most seasonal. Here, the skinny on the fragrant s

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